I almost left this comment as simply ‘meh’, but since it’s a contract year, he deserves more than that. Sonny had a great first season with the raps, and perhaps increased expectations more than they should have been. He can be a nice role player, but he had too much responsibility this year and couldn’t keep things consistent on either end of the floor. I hope he’s realistic with his contract demands if and when he comes back to the NBA because he could be a part of a growing team. He could really use a mentor.

Grade: C

•RF•

Quote:

LX

Just another victim of the mish-mash of a roster that could not sustain any proper identity. Add to that the desire to play his way into a nice contract, along with a bad back, and bad results are almost assured. It will be interesting to see where his head is at going forward, whether he is still here or somewhere else.

Grade: C-

•RF•

Quote:

oneironaught

If focused and unselfish, he could end up being a marginally good bench player, providing offense in doses and defense at the wing. But, unfortunately, he plays with a sense of gross entitlement. Bring him back if the price is right, or replace him with the Ford Taurus he refused to pay off.

Grade: C

•RF•

Quote:

fancylad

You can't blame him for not being that good. I don't think he had a good meal all season what with his lowly income. You can't play good basketball when you're hungry and malnourished.

Grade: C-

•RF•

Quote:

Acie

Remember when people argued he was more talented than DeMar?

Grade: C

•RF•

Quote:

INSIDER

who gave him the nickname "money"?
because he is so far from being "money".... (it mustv'e been Devlin)
in fact, he may be the lowest paid raptor player if he signs that offer sheet for a cool mil.
i say we call him Clarence from here on out.

Clarence needs to learn how to just play, not force anything and let the game come to him. maybe then Clarence will be a productive 8th man off the bench instead of being an erratic, inconsistant chucker.
right now, he's only here to keep DD happy.

Grade: D

•RF•

Now it's your turn, RF. Let us know what you thought of Sonny Weems in 10-11.

i give a D, maybe a D+
can't or won't try to play D
his so-so mid-range jumper became no jumper at all, but instead of realizing that he decided his jumper was better and had more range
can't or won't pass unless the guy is demar and he's standing right in front of him, no court-vision and poor decision-making
had no ball handles, when on the break he's basically got a 50-50 chance of either taking an ill-advised shot or loses the ball of his foot
his overall presence on the team has a negative effect on demar's game
his only positive is that when you think about it, he replaced jamario moon so he's still an "upgrade"

Disapointing season. He regressed on D, and was selfish on offense. Not sure how much better he can get, even given his age. I think he really needs to focus on being a more consistent defender which I think he can be. If he can be a defensive stopper off the bench and facilitate a little more he can be an asset for someone.

The first few games of the season were alright, but then for whatever reason he started making the jump shot the main focus of his offensive game. Towards the end of the season, I don't remember him dunking the ball. Just shot after shot. And as previous people said, his D was terrible this past season. I rarely saw the effort he put in on his first season with the Raptors.

I give him a D. I expected him to improve his game. He got worse. Now, some injuries factored in there, but still.

From last year to this year:

TS% dropped from .533 to .492. eFG% dropped from .517 to .461. PER dropped from 12.9 to 10.2. TRB% dropped from 8.3 to 6.4. AST% stayed the same (Yay Sonny!). STL% dropped from 1.5 to 1.2. BLK% dropped from 1.4 to 0.1 (!). TOV% increased from 11.8 to 13.4. ORTG dropped from 104 to 96. DRTG rose from 113 to 116. His WS/48 went from .044 to -.011.

Ugly, ugly year. He even got more minutes, too - in 10 less games he played 45 more total minutes. Still would like to see him come back to back up DeRozan after Barbosa gets shipped off. He's played better at SG than SF, historically.

Ugly, ugly year. He even got more minutes, too - in 10 less games he played 45 more total minutes. Still would like to see him come back to back up DeRozan after Barbosa gets shipped off. He's played better at SG than SF, historically.

If/when Barbosa is gone I want someone better than Weems. And people wonder we stay mediocre. Lol

He did show some improvement to his range, but in doing so didn't play to his strengths as much (such as taking it to the rim against SGs). He tried to expand his game, but lost sight of what made him successful off the bench last year.

His defense seemed to regress. He only had 2 blocks all year, compared to 25 last year (Nate Robinson had 4 blocks this year, and Jose Calderon had 7); he had less steals in more playing time, as well as less fouls. All this adds up to being less aggressive on D.

I don't know exactly how much of this can be attributed to injuries. It's unfortunate, because if he had a good amount of injury free playing time he might have been more comfortable with his range, and more competitive on defense. He'll need to prove this in Europe next year.

He started out this year being a below average small forward, and he got worse. I think it is pretty hard to defend giving him higher than a C- grade. He missed 23 games with back problems, and I'd think that back problems usually stick with a player.

If/when Barbosa is gone I want someone better than Weems. And people wonder we stay mediocre. Lol

As a backup SG, to play 10 minutes a game? I'd be happy with Weems. If and when the Raps get into real contention is when you'd want to sign a veteran backup to take his spot. In the meantime, Sonny would work great.

As a backup SG, to play 10 minutes a game? I'd be happy with Weems. If and when the Raps get into real contention is when you'd want to sign a veteran backup to take his spot. In the meantime, Sonny would work great.

IMO you get rid of Barbosa and want to get better you don't downgrade at that position. And when you say "when you get into real contention", you won't get there with Weems replacing Barbosa. Plus if Weems stays he'd get more then 10mpg imo and if not he won't sign or want to stay even if he does.

IMO you get rid of Barbosa and want to get better you don't downgrade at that position. And when you say "when you get into real contention", you won't get there with Weems replacing Barbosa. Plus if Weems stays he'd get more then 10mpg imo and if not he won't sign or want to stay even if he does.

Are you suggesting that the backup shooting guard position is they linchpin of the Raptors' future success? If the Raps are going to get to the playoffs, it will be through upgrades to their starting C, SF and PG. We have what I think is a solid third big man and third wing in the Johnsons. We all hope to have a starting PF and SG in Davis and DeRozan.

Sonny is more than an effective backup SG. And I think he will be happy to get the 10-15 minutes he will play here. He won't get much more than that no matter where he goes.

He has a strong mid-range game but needs to be more selective. He has the physical tools to be a good defender but his defense IQ is quite poor; disappointment for a player with a lot of college experience.

Best of luck in Kaunas, Lithuania for Zalgiris Sonny! He's easily worth $1,000,000 a year in the NBA too.

What i'm saying is Weems is a downgrade from Barbosa. And you won't get to that eventual contending status with Weems coming off the bench imo.

I agree with you Jeff, I'm not sure Sonny is adequate as a rotation player on any team. He's had one good season in his career, and if he proved one thing last season it's that his mind is thinking more about Sonny and not winning basketball games.

If you're a GM/Coach, you don't give Sonny anything. You bring in a handful backup wings to training camp and you make Sonny earn his spot on the roster.

He has proven nothing.

Barbosa however, despite being completely unreliable with the ball in his hands has proven that he can be a big time scorer off the bench when needed. He can be an effective tool if managed correctly.

Had a solid first season, came into this season thinking he was going to be the leagues scoring champ or something. If he stays grounded and plays within his game (not to mention drive to the basket), he would be a solid 6th man off the bench.

I agree with you Jeff, I'm not sure Sonny is adequate as a rotation player on any team. He's had one good season in his career, and if he proved one thing last season it's that his mind is thinking more about Sonny and not winning basketball games.

If you're a GM/Coach, you don't give Sonny anything. You bring in a handful backup wings to training camp and you make Sonny earn his spot on the roster.

He has proven nothing.

Barbosa however, despite being completely unreliable with the ball in his hands has proven that he can be a big time scorer off the bench when needed. He can be an effective tool if managed correctly.

I never get the whole "he's fine there until we start contending". I mean really, we have capspace (likely) and we're gonna keep someone like Weems with some of that capspace as a stop gap until we start contending? It makes absolutely no sense unless guys like Weems can help get to that level to begin with. And if what was said yesterday about the teams mandate of start winning sooner rather then later..... if so you don't start by downgrading at the SG position, backup or not. If Barbosa is moved and Weems is the primary backup what happens if Derozan has a lengthy injury? Do you want Weems as our starting SG? If so we continued to be a treadmill mediocre team.

A solid 6th man on a 20 win team maybe. He still isn't good enough not to go out and get some hardworking Joe Schmos who have the potential to outwork him for his roster spot.

The team's mindset shouldn't be, "we have sonny coming off the bench next year giving us 20min/game, I hope he brings his A-game". It should be, "we should see if we can find a young undrafted brute who can replace Sonny, Sonny had his head in the clouds last year".

I never get the whole "he's fine there until we start contending". I mean really, we have capspace (likely) and we're gonna keep someone like Weems with some of that capspace as a stop gap until we start contending? It makes absolutely no sense unless guys like Weems can help get to that level to begin with. And if what was said yesterday about the teams mandate of start winning sooner rather then later..... if so you don't start by downgrading at the SG position, backup or not. If Barbosa is moved and Weems is the primary backup what happens if Derozan has a lengthy injury? Do you want Weems as our starting SG? If so we continued to be a treadmill mediocre team.

Wait - how do you think we are going to use the cap-space? Either we sign Sonny for a small amount to back up the SG spot, and have lots left over to actually upgrade the talent in the positions that need it, or we don't and... what do you do for the SG position? Pay for a more expensive veteran player? Please explain this to me Jeff, because I cannot follow your logic here. You can't upgrade every position at once, and SG is quite simply NOT a position of need right now.

Wait - how do you think we are going to use the cap-space? Either we sign Sonny for a small amount to back up the SG spot, and have lots left over to actually upgrade the talent in the positions that need it, or we don't and... what do you do for the SG position? Pay for a more expensive veteran player? Please explain this to me Jeff, because I cannot follow your logic here. You can't upgrade every position at once, and SG is quite simply NOT a position of need right now.

Then Keep Barbosa and let Weems go. Otherwise go out and get a veteran to backup Derozan. Like i said, Weems replacing Barbosa is downgrading. Weems isn't the answer behind Derozan imo.